Book matching questions

dannyb

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I will be building a number of sycamore sopranos. This will be my first small production. I originally planned to make the fronts and backs one piece. Trying to make as few joints as possible the sides will be bent in one piece also.
Now things have changed.Upon looking at my wood, I am thinking of book matching the tops and backs instead. In such a small instrument is it necessary to reinforce the joint? Are there other options than running the small cross grain bands? Thank You For All Input.
 
If it's still an option, I'd go for one piece tops and backs. I think that looks even better than a good book match. But if it's not, I wouldn't bother with reinforcing the joint on the top. I haven't had a joined back split on me (yet) but I always consider reinforcing the seam on the back. I'd recommend doing so if you're going for flat backs. One pieces rim / sides is always a good idea in my opinion but many prefer the look of book matched sides.

So... now you know a bit about how I would do it. But keep in mind that I'm an amateur builder in Sweden, of all places. It might disqualify me from advising others.

Best of luck / Sven
 
I am also an amateur builder and admittedly have a lot to learn. I only have a few builds under my belt, but I've been building sopranos with book matched tops and backs with no crossbanding. The tops have a cross brace above and below the sound hole and a bridge patch. The backs have two cross braces. I'm not saying that this is the "right" way to do things, but it has worked fine for the first seven instruments that I've built and I haven't had a failure yet.
 
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It sounds like we are all in the same standing as far as our ranking. I too am an amateur hoping to sell some in the future. My wife says the 9 that I have built looks great on the wall but we do not need any others. It is just the wood would even be more beautiful with book matching. There has been mention of the need or not need of the back reinforcement strip. Just wanting to get some more reassurance or even alternate methods. I am open for all input. Thanks Again Danny
 
For me it has nothing to do with the time involved or the economy of using wood, I simply like the look of bookmatched tops and backs. Whether it's necessary or not I always use a reinforcement strip on the joint. Like neck stiffeners, it's cheap insurance.
 
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There is certainly a strong tradition of using single piece tops and backs with the smaller ukes...sopranos and concerts. When you get to tenors and baritones, bookmatching is much more common...for obvious reasons...size and availability. There is a dual tradition with violins...both solid and bookmatched backs, though the tops are nearly invariably bookmatched.
 
Definitely reinforce the back joint. The top joint is already reinforced by the braces, bridge, sound hole patch etc.
I wouldn't trust the back joint to hold up over time. Its only around 0.08" thick so any bump or squeeze could break it in the real world of daily use.
 
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